Tillerson said that the US is attaching importance to Trump's visit, hoping that it will be used as a chance to underscore the significance of the bilateral alliance and send a "positive message," including their strong commitment to denuclearizing the North, the ministry said. Tillerson assessed that the two are closely in consultation on the North's nuclear problem.

He also welcomed China's recent move to improve the ties between South Korea and China, expressing hopes that Beijing would ease what is seen as retaliatory economic measures against South Korea following the deployment of the US missile defense system called THAAD here, the ministry said.

Late last month, South Korea and China agreed to put their bilateral relations back on the right track, apparently normalizing ties that have soured over the THAAD deployment.

Tillerson expected the agreement to help relations between the two neighbors and strengthen the diplomatic foundation needed for resolving the North's nuclear issue, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)